Memories
by smolTITAN118
Summary: Jayla Rin wrestles with processing the loss of Cayde-6 and the effect it has on the Tower.


Striker Titan Jayla Rin kicked the purple ball around the tower courtyard, sulking.

Her team had lost two Crucible matches in a row, and when she returned to the tower, Drifter was off doing Sky-knows-what so there wasn't even any Gambit to make her feel better. All in all, a wasted bust of an afternoon, with nothing to look forward to.

She kicked the purple ball down to the hanger, with a much harder punt than strictly necessary once she stepped off the landing.

"Oi! Come off it!" She heard an annoyed yell.

She'd accidentally disrupted a soccer match. She waved in apology and caught the ball as they kicked it back to her. She settled on the floor and decided to watch for a moment.

"Brr...Brrr.." She heard a soft, almost purring noise.

She looked down to see...a chicken. In the tower.

It was pecking around her feet at the steel floor.

"Whatcha doing buddy?" She asked quietly. "Did Hawthorne bring you here…?"

There was a little silver band around the chicken's left foot.

"Orrin, can you see what that says?" She asked.

"Do it yourself; just pick it up." Her ghost said lazily.

"I'm scared its going to…bite me!" Jayla admitted. "Come on, be a pal!"

Orrin sighed and glided down to the floor in front of the chicken. It promptly started pecking his shell.

"It says -ow- 'Property of -ow- Cayde-6. Name -ow- The Colonel. Ow!" He read, and then quickly hovered back up to Jayla's shoulder. "Appears to be the aggressive type."

Jayla nodded. "Huh. Wonder who's taking care of him now."

She stood up and stepped over to Cayde's alcove. She stared silently at the desk for a moment. I guess no one's had the heart to get rid of his stuff.

She looked around. No offense, but the guy was kind of a slob.

There was a map on the wall, and the desk was littered with random empty bottles, cache maps, scout reports from fireteams, random knick-knacks; none in any particular order...She moved a box of mod components. "Ah-hah!" She found a container labeled "Colonel - Rations."

She knelt down to the chicken, who had followed her into the alcove and settled on the floor like he knew he belonged there. "Here ya go, buddy. Now be nice to my ghost!" She sprinkled some seeds on the floor, and settled on the floor against the wall.

"That little bastard's crows are lies." She heard.

Amanda Holiday, the shipwright, walked up from behind her.

"I feed that bugger every day, but he'll still mooch off of anyone who walks by."

Jayla shook her head. "Maybe he just likes the company."

"I wouldn't be surprised." Amanda smiled a bit. She looked around the alcove. "I miss him too." She whispered.

"Did you know him well?" Jayla asked after a moment, even tho she wasn't really in the mood for talking. it just seemed like the right thing to say.

Amanda shook her head. "Who can really say? Man had a lot of layers. Every time you'd think he'd zig, he zagged." She sighed. "But...he was always willing to lend a hand...and very kind to me. I just hope he's resting easy."

She blinked and looked at Jayla. "How about you? Were you good friends?"

Jayla shook her head. "No, we hardly ever spoke. But you summed him up well, i think."

Amanda smiled again, just a little bit. "Well, enjoy hanging out with Colonal. Keep good thoughts...good memories. I'm sure that's how he would have wanted it."

Jayla smiled and nodded. "Yes ma'am, i will."

She sat silently, and sprinkled more seed on the floor.

"You're going to get awful chubby if you keep eating like this. Better you than me, i guess."

She leaned back against the wall, and instinctively opened her hand in her lap. Orrin floated down and settled into it.

This alcove...this EMPTY alcove, is a wound in the Tower, and in the hearts and minds of all who live here. We'd all be better off if they'd just move on, and make room for whoever will be the new hunter vanguard. She thought to herself bitterly.

She never was very good with grief. There were only two options; stay stuck or move forward. There was no inbetween. Especially as a titan, she knew the City relied on their strength above all the others. Everyone else could grieve openly. They would grow stronger to compensate. Why did it feel so hard now?

She heard someone coming, but didn't look up. The last thing she needed was someone else talking to her, and feeling the obligation to be strong for someone else.

But there was no talking. Just large, heavy hands, gently at her side and under her knees, scooting her body to the side and sitting silently next to her.

Reno-13.

The giant Exo Titan sat with her in silence for a while. His hands rested on his bent knees, his back against the wall, watching her. Watching the chicken. Resting. Remembering.

Finally, Jayla breathed out, and leaned to the side, just close enough to rest her head against his upper arm. She wasn't crying or angry. Just tired all of a sudden.

Reno didn't move or say anything for a little while longer.

"You're strong, Jayla." He finally said quietly. "We're strong...for all the rest. It's our nature. It's who we are."

He looked down at her. "I've been doing this for a lot more lifetimes than you; i know it's not easy. If it was, everyone would do it. You're not doing or feeling anything wrong. It's just this hard."

Jayla sighed again and tipped her face into his sleeve. She wanted to cry, even just to relieve stress, but it wasn't happening.

Reno patted her knee gently. "Even the strongest draw strength from someone or something else, from time to time. We're here for eachother, just as much as we are for everyone else. You'll deal with it better and better with time. Some days, it's just this hard."


End file.
